Roofer’s old firm: $2.2 million in safety fines. New firm: $132,000 in possible fines
Jacksonville roofer Travis Slaughter neglected worker safety in his current company as he did in the company he shut down while owing $2.2 million in safety fines, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA division.
The opinion of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration is a matter of record after the federal agency classified the single violation of Slaughter’s Florida Roofing Experts from Sept. 28 as “willful.” That classification reflects the proposed $132,598 fine for having five workers toil on a house’s roof 13 feet, six inches high without fall protection.
A willful violation, OSHA says, is “a violation in which the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement (purposeful disregard) or acted with plain indifference to employee safety.”
Slaughter knows about willful violations. Just as he is for Florida Roofing Experts, Slaughter was listed with the state of Florida as Great White Construction’s director, president, secretary and treasurer. In 13 inspections fro 2014 through 2017, Great White racked up $2,254,169 in OSHA fines for 13 willful violations, 14 repeat violations and one serious violation.
A $6,160 fine and a $12,250 fine from 2014 are marked on OSHA’s webite as “Penalty plan in place.” Two $92,000 fines from 2014 have been referred to debt collection. The other nine inspections are at “Pending penalty payment.”
Great White Construction was dissolved June 12, 2018. According to Sunbiz.com, that leaves Slaughter with Florida Roofing Experts, Ameila Island Roofing (Slaughter is director and secretary) and Slaughter and Associates, Inc. Slaughter’s LinkedIn account says he also has GWC Roofing, Inc., but the state’s online records don’t have no corporation by that name registered.
A message left at the phone number on Slaughter’s LinkedIn account hasn’t been returned. A phone number for Florida Roofing Experts gives a message that the number has been changed and “the new number is unknown.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2019 at 6:20 AM.
